BY PHIL HORNSHAW
Posted on 06.07.17
There are times when Nintendo Switch fighting game Arms recalls the simple joys of the early days of the Nintendo Wii.
Back when motion controls were a fun novelty and Wii Boxing drew crowds at parties, you could have a blast with a friend as you flailed about with your Wii controllers. Skill wasn’t always required for victory if you could waggle a controlle...

Arms is a really strange game to try and write about because its disparate parts vary so wildly in quality. It has the core of an incredibly solid and accessible 3D fighting game, but is surrounded by missed opportunities and poorly executed aspects.
There’s an amazing game inside Arms, found underneath countless confusing design decisions.
Developer: Nintendo EPD
Publisher: Nintendo
Format: N...

Nintendo has an uphill battle when it comes to convincing people it can do competitive play right — both in general terms with online play and in the eSports arena. They’ve traditionally shied away from it, but with the explosion of Splatoon and the writing on the wall from nearly every other publisher, it made sense to start laying that foundation.
The funny thing is Arms, which ca...

Many Nintendo fans remember the Punch-Out franchise fondly. The rudimentary exploration of boxing’s sweet science challenged players to find the best strategy against each opponent and capitalize upon weaknesses to rise up the ranks and eventually claim the championship. Arms explores similar mechanics while pushing the concept far into the realm of the absurd in a way that is exciting, ...

Arms (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: June 16, 2017
MSRP: $59.99
Any notion that Arms was going to be a gimmicky motion-controlled flail-fest dissolved the minute I picked up the Joy-Con for the first time.
Not only did Nintendo manage to actually make the punching motions feel smooth and responsive, but they also cleverly incorporated the concept of using th...